CAMP BUCKNER

THE CLASS NUMERAL ROCK AT CAMP BUCKNER. Each summer the third class at Camp Buckner training, would, by moonlight, in canoes, paint their class numeral on the big rock across the lake, visible to all visitors.

REVEILLE CANNON. Cadets were awakened by a cannon fired at reveille. Many times, the cannon would be removed from its traditional place by the flagpole and hidden or placed in the lake.

PLEBE COMPANY GUIDONS. Near the end of Beast Barracks (CBT today), the plebes hiked to a camp site near Lake Frederick, a short distance over a mountain from Camp Buckner. Tradition was that a group of Yearlings would sneak over to the Plebe camp and confiscate one or more of the Plebe Company guidons.

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The tradition described above still lives on as described here by a member of the class of 2002. 

I had guard one night.  It was miserably cold, and I had a broken foot, so I had to wear a boot on my leg that looked like something out of "Robocop."  Who better to pair for guard than a female with a broken foot and a male with a hernia?  So my friend and squad mate, and I took guard at the post at the vehicle entrance of Lake Frederick.  (We had the late shift, from about 0100 - 0300.)  I had the radio on my back because he could not carry much weight.

The beginning of the shift passed with little event.  We had to stop a few cars and such... nothing too exciting.  I had knowledge of the tradition of stealing the guidons, so I had my eyes set on the tree line waiting for movement.  I think it was at about 0130 when I saw a person across this little field.  I limped across this little field and challenged the individual.  When I asked him to identify himself, he said he was a Private First Class, assigned to the 10th Mountain Division.  I realized that he probably would have no knowledge of our challenge and password, so I asked him what his business was.  I honestly don't remember what his response was, but it was believable.  I just told him to watch himself.  Come to find out later that he was supposedly being honest with me, but I wonder to this day what he was doing out there at 0130 hrs.  A bit later, at about 0200, my guard mate had gone to utilize the latrine, so I was left at the post guarding.  I saw movement in the brush across the field, but as a good guard, I stood my post, as there was nobody there to relieve me to go check it out.  When my partner came back, I pointed to a group of people in BDUs walking towards "tent city," and told him to stay and guard and I was going to check out the situation.  (I didn't want him to hurt himself running. His injuries were worse than mine.)  I radioed to the officer of the guard that there were four unknown personnel approaching tent city.  It appeared that they had a radio for communication.  By the time my communication with the officer of the guard and with my partner was over, I turned around, and saw nothing.  I kept my eyes open, scanning just above the grass, trying to notice any movement in it.  A moment later, I saw movement.  Evidently, they had gotten to a small rise in the ground where I could not clearly see them, and took up the prone position in the grass. Two of them had low crawled closer to tent city, and one of my fellow guards, from the other side of tent city was walking toward their position. I walked toward the ones closer to me.  As we approached them, they ran into tent city.  How can you lose 4 personnel in a large cleared area covered in olive drab tents?  We quickly found that it is possible.  I walked around tent city, and saw nothing.  I maintained contact with the officer of the guard.  After about a half an hour, while still looking for these intruders, I looked down the aisle where the guidons were posted.  I saw only three guidons remaining of the eight that we had started the night with.  I radioed this finding to the officer of the guard, who told me to take one more tour around tent city, and return to my post at the vehicle entrance.

After finding nothing, I returned.  A few moments later, I saw people running toward my position.  I told my partner to stay at the entrance, and I was going to go halt these people.  I had to run (on my broken foot) to attempt to catch these people.  They had to drop our guidons to continue out running the pursuit.  I am very ashamed to say that they made it to the tree line before I could catch them.  I looked for them in the trees, but could not see where they were for the life of me.  I returned to my post, radioed what had happened to the officer of the guard, and was soon relieved by the incoming shift.  Nothing more happened that night.  All of the guidons were recovered and the yearlings' spirit mission was rendered unsuccessful.  When the academic year started out, the Catholic Church sponsored a retreat for all classes to go to Camp Natural Bridge for a weekend.  All of the classes were quite civil to each other, and we got to talking about this incident. Come to find out, one of the gentlemen I was talking to was in the spirit mission.  He said that they were all impressed that I ran as quickly as I did, as they noticed the brace on my leg.  They said that when I was looking for them in tent city, I had come upon them a few times, and they escaped being seen by the skin of their teeth, one time, all four jumping into an occupied tent (two shelter halves, to give you an idea of how cramped this was for them).  When they ran back to the tree line, I evidently almost stepped on one of them while looking for them.  What a victory it would have been to catch them. 

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